Day After, or "Nana, why do they call it Black Friday?"

So, on Thanksgiving afternoon, we were watching commercials about "Black Friday" and Calysta thought it should be red and green Friday because it's the beginning of Christmas. Trade, profit and loss, and money-making strategies are difficult to explain to a 6-year old, but she understands shopping. We're going out later today. She is excited to make me something that will go permanently on my Christmas tree, which is about 3 feet tall and covered with stuff my children made me when they were little. She wants to be represented, too. We'll hit the Hobby Lobby first. If we find the right project, we will go directly home to work on it. She's also eager to "put up the tiny tree". I guess we have been making memories and setting traditions without conscious effort. You just never know what memories will stick in your children's heads--or yours either for that matter. Alex called me yesterday to tell me a secret ("I love you, Nana"). Calysta was here and they immediately got on the phone and chattered for about 5 minutes. It was one of the highlights of my day--those two little girls talking and laughing together! I wish all my children and their children a very Merry Christmas season--have fun guys. I also wish this for my other children--those of my brothers--and also their babies--whom I love fiercely and miss terribly.

Thanksgiving prep

Well, I have made the mashed potatoes with bacon and mozzarella and parmesan cheeses (YUM), the dressing with roasted chestnuts (as it turns out they're great--I had never had them before) freshly baked French bread cubes, dried cranberries, sweet Italian sausage and assorted other stuff, both ready for the oven on Thursday after the bird comes out. Mark will be here later to prepare the brine and we'll drown the turkey until Thursday AM when I put it in the oven. Tomorrow I'll prepare the green beans. On Thursday, I'll roast the sweet potatoes and Brussels sprouts (quartered long-wise) in the oven with olive oil, salt and pepper. Oh one more thing, I had bought a container of dried cranberries and put about 2/3 of them in the dressing. Then I reconstituted the remaining 1/3 in cranberry juice with orange rind, orange slices and juice. Made a terrific cranberry sauce--maybe the best ever!! Whew! Tonight I also made beef stew so when Mark comes back after delivering Calysta to her mom, we'll have a nice supper. Then I will sleep very well. G'night all!

Mini-pumpkin Cakes

These were so much fun! The recipes were in the October issue of Southern Living magazine. There are two recipes for the cakes--pumpkin and pumpkin molasses. I used the pumpkin one. The glaze is caramel glaze and the stems/leaves/tendrils are molded caramels. These will be individual desserts or party favors for those at my Thanksgiving Dinner.

November 2009

The month is getting away from me and I haven't written a blog. Eric graduated this month; Jennie will graduate next month. My brother died. I saw the Grand Canyon. Altogether it was a momentous month, not altogether wonderful. I was mentioning a pan I saw in Southern Living magazine, that when I went to the website (www.wilton.com) where they said I could get it, they said it was unavailable. My beautiful and generous daughter-in-law, Amy, told me she had seen the pan at the local Michaels out in Queen Creek. So we ran by and there was one left--and she let me get it! Now I'm on a quest to find her one. It may not be this year, but I'll do it. I'm perturbed that the magazine would advertise something that's unavailable, and I'm sure they and Wilton heard many complaints about it. Maybe that will spur them to make it available again. I'm making the cakes today. I love being retired. I can make whatever plan I choose and barring something unexpected, I can feel assured that I can do it. It's freedom of the First Water. I have been thinking about my great-grandmother lately (for obvious reasons). Her name was Martha Jensen Rasmussen. She's the one who lived next to my grandparent's house who lived next to us. We called her Ma. Her home was a polling place, and she, along with other women ran the polls on every election day. I would go over and watch. I had to sit quietly on the couch and just watch, but it was interesting. When I go to vote these days, I always pay attention to the ladies at the polls and thank them for their work when I leave. One thing: Ma always had coffee and tea served in a beautiful service set, pastries and other goodies for the ladies who were working at her home. Well, my nose is telling me that my cakes are ready to come out of the oven, so I'll go for now.